Avascular Necrosis
Let's talk about avascular necrosis (AVN). Truly it's a technical term that just means bone death and I have been experiencing this. Who knows if it's the altitude of living in Colorado that is exaggerating the phenomenon!? Ultimately, many people with Sickle Cell Disease experience this in their bones and is usually commonplace in their joints, such as shoulders or hips. In my case, my hips were the first discovered. I have always complained about pain in my bones, especially my legs. My hip pain has been very extreme since the birth of my son almost four years ago. And for the longest time my primary doctors didn't understand my complaint until my hematologist ordered MRIs in 2012 and they showed the AVN. The pain had become so bad it was hard to function and I opted for a core decompression (where they drill into the bone to help reduce the pressure) and bone graft (cadaver bone and minerals) to be put in. I don't view surgery as a walk in the park and I know